A mystery landing gear malfunction resulted in a training flight crashing into the runway at Dundee Airport, investigators have found.
Two crew and one passenger escaped without injury after landing gear failed during a training flight, according to a report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
The pilot’s instructor took control of the aircraft after it started to “wobble” when it touched down on the runway.
The landing gear on the right hand side of the aircraft had “collapsed”.
Engineers could not later identify the problem with the hydraulic and electrical systems on the Piper PA-34 plane.
The AAIB published its report around seven months after the June incident.
‘The right wing struck the runway’
In the report, the plane’s pilot said the accident happened at the end of a training flight at the city’s airport.
The student pilot had carried out the required checks, confirming the “the landing gear was down and locked”.
Following a normal landing, “the aircraft began to wobble, listed to the right and the propeller on the right engine and the right wing struck the runway.
“The instructor took control and managed to keep the aircraft reasonably straight and brought the aircraft to a stop.
“The occupants escaped unhurt. On exiting the aircraft it was clear the right main landing had collapsed.”
Plane made in 1977
The plane took off from Dundee Airport at 11.30am on the morning of Wednesday, June 1.
The Piper PA-34 is a light aircraft. The report said it was manufactured in 1977.
Aircraft maintenance engineers checked the plane after the incident, but could not say what had caused the landing gear to fail.
The pilot wrote in his report: “After the accident the engineers from the maintenance organisation responsible for the aircraft checked the entire hydraulic and electrical system and no fault could be found.
“Despite repeated selections of the landing gear there was no evidence of failure of the main and nose landing gear down lock safety mechanism and switches.”
The plane sustained damage to both propellors, engines and airframe and was not repaired after the crash.
Company Tayside Aviation is the only air training operator based at Dundee Airport.
Other organisations, however, fly to Dundee to carry out training and use the facility.
The AAIB report did not name the flight operator.
A spokesperson for Tayside Aviation and a spokesperson for Dundee Airport declined to comment on the report.
